


[Podfic Included] Serendipity

by Saifa



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Goner!Papyrus, Other, Podfic, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:55:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28711614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saifa/pseuds/Saifa
Summary: Papyrus hopes that someone will finally encounter his event number now that monsters have reached the Surface. A chance meeting with you fulfills this, but he was not prepared for the effect it would have on him. Only time can tell what serendipitous fortunes will unfold from this.
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale) & Reader, Papyrus (Undertale) & You, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/You
Comments: 7
Kudos: 15
Collections: Podfic Library





	[Podfic Included] Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to break out of my severe Pandemic Burnout™ by writing something short and new. I think it helped.
> 
> Now it's back to everything else I need to write.
> 
> Podfic available for accessibility.

[Saifa J](https://soundcloud.com/saifa-j) · [Chapter 1: Event 95](https://soundcloud.com/saifa-j/chapter-1-event-95)

* * *

He liked autumn the most out of all the seasons. It had enough color to not be overwhelming. Most of all he found comfort in the bright reds and golds coexisting with the gray skies. It gave Papyrus hope that perhaps one day he too could be seen in this world no matter how briefly. Thinking so was one of the few things he could do to keep his spirits up. After all, monsterkind had finally been freed, and there were new people to potentially meet everyday who could bask in his greatness. Certainly there were endless chances a human would catch a glimpse of him if not a monster. He had to believe this.

Papyrus looked up at the shimmering yellow leaves wet from the steady light rain, and raised his hands to catch the few raindrops that filtered through the branches that sheltered him. The water speckled his gray gloves momentarily before falling through his image, a painful reminder of how he didn’t belong. Frowning, his hands fell as he scanned the empty park. He was a grayscale blot amongst the trees, both existing and not in the cloud filtered sunlight. At least it felt like home, or so he told himself, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. There was too much time in his skull to keep his memories straight and separated from the turnings of the universe. But for now nostalgia was a comfort he didn’t dare ignore.

A light tap on his shoulder made him jump and rattle his bones. He had been so lost in thought he hadn’t noticed the presence that now stood beside him. Turning stiffly, he stared in blank surprise at his unexpected company.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” you apologized. “I asked if you were okay, but you were pretty zoned out there, huh?”

Papyrus looked around briefly in search of who you were talking to. It couldn’t possibly be him. No one had ever encountered his number before. But there you stood before him in your star patterned, navy blue raincoat and matching umbrella with no one else around. You were close enough to touch, but the thought of reaching out to you unsettled him. He was certain the action would chase you away. He wanted this moment, didn’t he? Now that it was here, he was caught between his disbelief and uncertainty for what to do. Shifting in place, he anxiously wrung his hands together as he tried to form words. “Ah...yes?” he began, then continued emphatically when you tilted your head in acknowledgement to his words. “Yes! I was. Deep in the thoughts. The zone of sticky thoughts.”

You looked over his gray toned clothing, then nodded knowingly with a smile. “I have sticky thoughts sometimes too.”

It was as if your response gave him permission to relax and accept this moment. There was no longer any doubt you had encountered his number. Papyrus had always wondered how his first interaction with anyone would go, and this one seemed to be going well enough. He just didn’t know how much time he had left before this window of reality closed. A dreaded ache blossomed in his chest at that thought. He could sense the remaining seconds slipping away if he thought about time linearly. At least he would always exist in this moment and could return back to it whenever he pleased as a brief respite from loneliness. But your existence was linear. This moment was ephemeral and could never grow past its closure.

His long silence clued you in that something was amiss. “What’s wrong?” you asked, smile fading. You adjusted your grip on the umbrella’s handle and extended your arm to shield him from the slow, thick raindrops that had fallen after collecting on the leaves.

“Nothing,” Papyrus said brightly, forcing a smile. Something overwhelming swelled in his soul from your display of kindness, and he stifled a wince. He couldn’t understand what it was, so he pushed it away. Everything was fine. He was fine. This was how he existed, and he had had an eternity to accept this. He had grown used to having no contact with anyone, so why should meeting you disrupt that sense of normalcy? Even so, he got what he wanted, to finally be seen by someone, so why did this meeting feel like a bruise on his soul? 

His brief response and elongated silence after made you bite your lip in worry.

Papyrus fidgeted. He had to turn this encounter around. First impressions were important after all, and he regretted putting this burden on you. You shouldn’t have to deal with his predicament no matter how crushingly lonely he was. He had to reassure you. “It hurts sometimes. But it’s nothing I can’t handle!” he said, straightening and placing his hands on his hips though his smile was still stiff.

You nodded and hummed in thought. “How about we get out of the rain? I would love to make another monster friend. My place isn’t too far from here.”

Papyrus stifled another wince. “Ah, I… I can’t,” his voice fell.

“Oh? How come?”

“I… I have to go. Soon.” he said softly. In order to reassure you further, he puffed out his chest and gestured to the park while raising his voice in feigned excitement. “There are things I must do, places I must see! Daring and deadly adventures await me!” The gentle tapping of rain above him marked the dwindling seconds. If he concentrated hard enough, he could perceive time stretching out to savor what was left of this interaction. He knew you would always be here in this moment, but he would still miss you. He barely knew you, but you were quickly growing more familiar. It was strange to feel this familiarity, this phantom of intimacy of what could be, but he knew the tremendous odds, if not impossible, of encountering his number again.

“Some other time then?” you offered, catching the melancholy in his voice. “I meant what I said about being your friend. I know it must be hard transitioning from the Underground to here and experiencing all these new things.”   
“Indeed,” Papyrus said with a slight tremble in his voice, and his smile looked more like a grimace.

“Here,” you said, passing the umbrella to him. “You can borrow this to keep you dry until I see you again. I wouldn’t want to have my new friend get sick from being out in the rain.”

Papyrus stared at the umbrella in shock, fully expecting it to phase through his grasp. “I can’t take this,” he said quickly, voice rising in a panic as he attempted to return it.

“You can give it back to me next time we meet, okay?” you insisted, clasping your hands over his grasp on the handle. “How about tomorrow? Same place, same time. It should be sunny out by then.”

The heat from your hands strangled his breath away as he stared down at them. He had experienced an eternity since he last felt another person’s touch let alone warmth or magic. Whatever words he tried to speak, they were a tangled knot in his non-existent throat. He knew the window you had with him was closing, and he feared the heat of your hands leaving his. He didn’t want you to let go.

Smiling up at him, your hands slipped away. You raised your hood over your head and began to turn. With a wave, you took one last look at him. “Catch you tomorrow!”

Speechlessly, Papyrus watched your form grow smaller as you walked down the trail. It was only when you were out of sight that the umbrella phased out of his grasp and fell onto the wet grass.


End file.
